One in every five low paid workers in Ireland is aged over 50. A new report by researchers at UCD has found that of the 420,000 low paid workers in the country, around 80,000 are aged over 50.
It says older low paid workers are more likely to be employed in admin and caring roles than in retail, accommodation or food. Low paid women aged over 50 earn less than men.
Lead author of the report, Dr Micheál Collins, says there's a clear gender pay gap. "A low paid man earned €10.58 an hour; a low paid female worker earned €10 an hour - so there is a difference there, you might call it a low paid gender pay gap of 5.5%. And then, even when we are looking at low pay, these these gender gaps in society appear," he added.
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